The Pact between Two Friends
by lavenderlush
Summary: [COMPLETE] Hyuuga Natsume loved before. But now, he's not that sure if he still loves this girl anymore. AND his attention was averted to a certain brunette by the name of... NatsumexMikan and RukaxOC, too.
1. It's Just Not Her Anymore

**Disclaimer: Mary Sue or not, I don't really care What's done is done _((laughs))  
_**

**PLEASE, NO GHOST READERS! Review it, please? I really need those to improve my writing. _Even one-liners are welcome XD_  
**

**Another Disclaimer: **Gakuen Alice doesn't belong to me. It is owned by the great mangaka Higuchi Tachibana.

**Author's note: **I will introduce you to a new character. Her name would be _Kayobi Nikko _(or Nikko Kayobi, whichever you would prefer). Sounds a bit unusual? Well, yeah. I thought of it myself. After browsing through my Japanese dictionary, I came up with this name. It means "Tuesday sunset". (Tell me if it corny, alright?) Btw, her alice is **time manipulation**. She can replay/fast forward any event she may choose. She's a special star too. And for the last 4 years, the academy hasn't appointed a student with this.

Let me give you a physical description of her; long, straight black hair (with blue streaks that shows whenever sunlight hits her) and crystal-clear blue eyes.

I know know.. She's not a Mary Sue! And besides, the story doesn't really revolve around her. Is she disgustingly perfect? No! Hahaha! And no, if you're wondering, I'm not comparing or wishing I'm her at all. I hate having long hair, if you must know. And I'm not the girly-girly type, or the tomboyish type, either. Maybe somewhere in the middle.

I know her name doesn't match with her face at all. (i.e., 'sunset' + blue eyes ? Uhh.. Do you get it?)

Okay! Off we go then to the story! _(Still deciding if this should be a one-shot or not.) _

**The Pact between Two Friends**

**Chapter 1: It's Just Not Her Anymore**

_Time setting: 4 years from now so they're all 14 years old_

_(A/N: Ginko trees are trees which have males and females. The females produce nuts.)_

Nikko looked up from her spot under a ginko tree and shaded her eyes from the sunlight. A few nuts fell from the tree hitting her on the head but she hardly noticed. She drummed her fingers on her right knee and sighed exasperatedly. _Where IS Natsume, _she wondered. _He was supposed to meet me at 1:00 and it's already 1:20. It figures, _she muttered under her breath. _Typical Natsume._

"Hey, Nikko!"

That Natsume, she thought irritably, not noticing the boyish voice yelling. He's gonna get it this time.

"Hey! Stupid", a voice teasingly said in her ear.

Nikko whipped around and faced Natsume. "Do you know what time is it?", she growled.

Natsume glanced at his watch _(A/N: which is a very cool and expensive watch ), _Nikko's face then back at his watch again. "Uhh.. 1:32?"

"Very good!", she said sarcastically. "Anyway, let's go already!" She dragged off a very sheepish _(A/N: Wow, this is rare!) _Natsume.

OOO

Mikan looked up to see a beautiful but irritated-looking girl drag off Natsume. (She was having a picnic with Hotaru and Yuu but she was doing all the eating so let's rephrase that: _She was having a picnic. Period._)

"Hey, Yuu-chan, who's that girl there with Natsume-kun?"

Yuu looked to the direction Mikan was pointing, smiled and said, "Oh, you must mean Nikko-san."

"How come I never met her before?", inquired a very curious Mikan.

"Well, she's a really busy person, considering her alice."

"What _is_ her alice?", Mikan asked with wide eyes.

Yuu smiled at her open curiosity and said, "Time manipulation. It's very useful to the academy."

"Wow! Amazing! I want to meet her!", Mikan squealed _(A/N: and making lots of noise. He he he..)_

"Be quiet, idiot," Hotaru said calmy and shooting Mikan with her _baka _gun.

Mikan being excited didn't even notice the pain. "I really do want to meet her!"

Hotaru sighed and said, "Fine, I'll introduce you_ if _you would shut up already."

Mikan nodded vigorously while jumping up and down.

"You really would do that, Hotaru?", asked Yuu in a hushed voice. He scratched his head.

"Maybe", Hotaru shrugged and returned to her work.

_Ha ha ha.. Who would've thought Hotaru would do something like that for Mikan? XP_

OOO

Nikko-flopped on her bed and sighed. _Something's different today.. Something's different with Natsume.._

_Or.. Is it me, _she thought with a sudden realization. _I didn't feel giddy when I was with Natsume this afternoon. It feels.. strange and out of place. This feeling scares me a bit._

She stood up and paced her (huge) room with her hand clasping the other. Her brow furrowed as she thought long and hard.

_What's happening with me today? I know that.. that.. that he's the one for me already. So what is it with me?_

_flashback_

Nikko was sitting under the shade of a sakura tree when a figure blocked her view.

"Huh?" She sat up and squinted up at the person in front of her.

"Who are you and what are you doing on my spot?", the person asked in a cold and steely voice.

"Excuse me?", she said politely.

"I said, you're in my spot, stupid", the voice said mockingly.

"Well, excuse me for being rude, _sir, _but my name's not stupid", she said with exaggerated politeness. She stood up and leveled her face with the unknown person. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise as she stared into the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. Beautiful.. but empty.

"What is it, miss?", the boy with ruby-red eyes smiled egoistically.

_He must've known what I was thinking, _she thought in panic.

"I gotta run. I'm sorry", she said quickly and ran off as fast as she could.

Unknown to her, the boy with those beautiful eyes stared at her as she ran off. Who could guess what he's thinking? _(A/N: grins)_

And from then on, they would meet under the shade of the sakura tree and talk. Gradually, they would become friends and after a few more years, more would come out of this friendship..

_end of flashback_

OOO

Back in his room, Natsume lay on his back and threw an alice ball, trying to hit the ceiling. He folded his arms under his head and sighed.

_The past few months just weren't the same with her. There's something.. something.. something very different this time. Usually, I would always think of her whenever I would go to sleep but.._

_It's just not her anymore._

**A/N: **It's not a Mary Sue! laughs Anyway, reviews are highly appreciated! Thank you very much!


	2. Interesting Developments

**Disclaimer: **Gakuen Alice doesn't belong to me. It is owned by the great mangaka Higuchi Tachibana.

**Chapter 2: Interesting Developments**

Natsume walked to the door of class B with his usual arrogant stride. He sighed, and brushed his bangs away from his forehead. "Another day, another pain, huh? It figures", he said under his breath.

"Good morning, Natsume-kun!", came the usual greeting from the stupid girl standing in front of him.

"GOOD MORNING, NATSUME-SAMA", said Sumire, while elbowing Mikan out of the way. "How are you this morning?" She looked at him expectantly, with an eager smile on his face.

"Hey! Sumire! What's the big idea?", Mikan complained.

"Go away, hags", came Natsume's cold and steely reply. _Honestly, why can't they leave me alone, _he thought grumpily and settled down on his seat.

"You could at least be more mature now, Sumire and Mikan", Hotaru said tonelessy. "We're not ten-year-olds anymore."

_Yeah, listen to her, _Natsume groaned inwardly, smirking behind his magazine that was draped over his face. _(A/N: He's 14 already so he doesn't read shounen mangas anymore. He's reading a.. a.. rock magazine. XD Suggestions?)_

Mikan just shrugged and went over to chat with Yuu-chan and Kokoroyomi. She talked, laughed and joked with them and Natsume couldn't help but watch her. He was studying her so intently that he didn't notice _Ruka_ was studying _him._

_What's up with him?_, he thought questioningly. He shrugged and patted his bunny, err, rabbit on the head (A/N: The bunny's all grown-up now ). _I'd grill him for details later._

But he didn't. He was distracted by a figure passing by their classroom. Her crystal-clear blue eyes met his silvery-blue ones. He sucked in his breath and as quickly as she had come, she was gone. He felt his mind slide out of focus but he steadied himself quickly.

_Who IS that? Oh yeah.. How could I forget? She's.._

"What's wrong?", Natsume asked, not looking up from his magazine.

_Huh?_

"N-N-Nothing's wrong", Ruka stammered, caught off guard.

"Ri-i-ight", Natsume snorted. He put down his magazine and looked at him penetratingly.

Ruka turned red and looked for an escape route. "Oh, I have to go talk to Mikan and Yuu. Talk to you later, Natsume.", he said hastily.

Natsume raised an eyebrow and just shrugged. "Whatever".

OOO

_R-R-Ruka? What just happened there? My heart was doing back flips and Russian splits inside my chest._

Nikko banged her head on her table causing her other classmates to stare at her.

"What's the matter, Nikko-san?", Aoi _(A/N: Random person yada yada yada..) _asked.

She turned red but recovered and said calmly, "Nothing's wrong. But thank you for asking.", Nikko said delicately.

Aoi nodded and turned back to his work.

As soon as she was sure nobody's looking anymore, she sank bank in her chair and heaved a big big sigh and blew her hair out of her eyes.

_Gotta be careful, though. My classmates aren't used to seeing me like this._

OOO

Natsume and Nikko passed each other in the corridor and did nothing but just nod at each other. Everyone noticed, unfortunately.

_Whispering.. whispering.. and more whispering.. (A/N: God, those 'tards. They do nothing but gossip )_

When they both rounded a corner, they both stopped.

Both thought, _What did I just do?_

They shook away those thought and promised that they would deal with them later.

_Hmmm.._

OOO

"Hey, Ruka," Natsume greeted him.

"Hey, Natsume-kun," Ruka said and patted his bunny, err, rabbit twice on the head.

They were both content just sitting quietly on the table when the peace and quiet was interrupted by a high-pitched yell.

"HOTARUUUUUUU", Mikan squealed in delight.

Strangely, Hotaru didn't bring out her baka gun. _(Hmmm.. Maybe she got tired of it or she grew out of that habit ) _Mikan tripped anyway so she wasn't able to hug Hotaru. Her skirt flipped high enough to see her undies.

"Hey, polka dots!", Natsume called. "It's blueberries today, huh? What's it gonna be tomorrow? Pineapples?" He smirked, mocking her.

"Pervert!", Mikan screamed and cursed. She walked away in a huff (and still cursing Natsume).

"Some things just don't change, do they?", Ruka said with a little grin.

"Yeah, they don't, I'm glad", Natsume replied with a strange look in his eyes and with a slight smile on his face.

Ruka noticed and just shook his head, secretly smiling. He was a little surprised with what Natsume said. He shook his head again and suppressed a grin. _Interesting, Natsume.._

OOO

Natsume got up and said, "I'll see you later, Ruka."

Ruka nodded and smiled.

_It's been an interesting afternoon, _he thought with a smirk.

He walked back to their classroom and bumped into a brunette with beautiful russet eyes.

"Hey, watch it!"

Mikan blinked and said sorry (while not looking apologetic at all).

"Watch where you're going, blueberries", Natsume said coldly.

She glanced up and met those ruby-red eyes. Unfortunately, she stared a second too long.

Natsume raised an eyebrow and she was jolted back to reality.

"S-Sorry, Natsume-kun", she turned and ran.

Natsume stared after her, a blush creeping to his cheeks.

OOO

Mikan ran back to her room, slammed the door shut and collapsed on her bed.

_W-What? What just happened back there?_

She let her mind wander off and found herself thinking, _Why didn't I notice those beautiful eyes before? Beautiful and intense.. but empty.. with a hint of sadness.._

Mikan turned over to her back and stared at the ceiling.

_Hyuuga Natsume, huh? This is ridiculous! _

She turned to her side and drifted off to sleep with his name on her lips..

**A/N:** Please review! Constructive criticisms are highly welcomed! Meaningless flaming.. You know.. Just saying it sucked without telling why.. Please keep them to yourself. Reviews:D


	3. Sudden Realizations

**Disclaimer: **Gakuen Alice doesn't belong to me. It is owned by the great mangaka Higuchi Tachibana.

**Chapter 3: Sudden Realizations**

Mikan was taking a walk around the academy. She breathed in the scent of fresh air and stretched her arms over her head.

_What a beautiful morning! A perfect day for another picnic with Hotaru and Yuu-chan. Maybe Natsume-kun and Ruka-pyon would like to join us, _she thought excitedly. _Nikko-san, too!_

_I can't wait! _She pranced back to her classroom, earning snickers along the way.

_snicker snicker snicker _

"Hotaru! Yuu-chan!", Mikan called eagerly. "Let's have a picnic and invite Natsume-kun, Ruka-pyon and Nikko-san!" She began jumping up and down like a pogo stick until she was silenced by Hotaru's ever-useful _baka _gun.

"Er, Mikan? Are you alright?" Yuu-chan _sweatdrops_

"Let's go!", Mikan shouted, pumping her fist into the air.

Hotaru and Yuu-chan exchanged a glance. "I guess it's time to buy and prepare the food, Yuu", Hotaru said tonelessly.

"Ha ha ha", Yuu-chan laughed nervously. _(A/N: Mikan is seriously making a dent in Yuu-chan's piggy bank XD)_

OOO

Hotaru approached the two boys walking down the corridor and stopped them with her latest invention.

_Invention no. 0354: total body control. You can make a person do anything you want, even if it is against his/her will, with just a simple push of a button. It has 9 buttons; one for the head, nose, left and right arms, torso, left and right legs and for the left and right feet._

_Upgraded version includes controls for these additional body parts: left and right eye, fingers and toes. Get your own, now. Only 100 rabbits each._

"Uhh, Hotaru, who are you talking to?", asked a bewildered Ruka.

Hotaru turned back to him and said, "No one. I'm here to tell you something. You have to go to this picnic later this afternoon. You too, Natsume", Hotaru added icily.

"Be there or you know what will happen, Ruka", Hotaru waved something menacingly in her right hand and walked away.

Ruka turned pale and looked completely gobsmacked. He shook his head helplessly.

Natsume glanced at Ruka's present state and said flatly, "I guess we have plans later".

Ruka just nodded unable to speak.

_Interesting on how Hotaru seems to have a tight grip on Ruka, _Natsume smirked inwardly. _Blackmail, my ass._

OOO

Yuu-chan ran and caught up with Nikko.

"Hello, Nikko-san, how are you doing?", Yuu-chan greeted her.

Nikko looked at him in surprise and said, "I'm alright, thank you. What's the matter?"

"I just wanted to invite you to a picnic later this afternoon if you're not busy, that is", Yuu-chan added hastily.

Nikko looked surprised but regained her composure quickly and said, "Sure, I'll be there." and volunteered nothing more.

"Four o'clock?"

"Four it is, then."

Yuu-chan ran off leaving Nikko standing there. _A picnic, huh? _She shrugged and went on to her way.

OOO

"A picnic, we're going to have a picnic, a picnic, a picnic, we're going to...", Mikan sang happily.

"Shut up, Mikan", Hotaru said calmly. "You're giving me a headache. And would you please sit down? You're making me dizzy. You're like a merry-go-round gone haywire."

"Hotaruuuu, you're so mean!" She then spotted two figures heading their way from the left and another figure from the right.

"Hey, Yuu-chan, there they are! Natsume-kun and Ruka-pyon. Oh, is that Nikko-san?"

Yuu-chan smiled at her eagerness and continued fixing their food.

"NATSUME-KUN! RUKA-PYON! NIKKO-SAN! Over here!", Mikan yelled, waving her hands over her head like a windmill.

Nikko looked confused, as she doesn't know Mikan yet.

"Ah, Nikko-san, I'm glad you can make it. This is Hotaru and Mikan, by the way.", Yuu-chan put in.

Mikan came forward and shook Nikko's whole right arm excitedly. Nikko looked a little harassed, by the way.

"Nikko-san! Uhm, can I just call you Nikko-chan? Great!", Mikan enthused.

Nikko nodded, unable to speak, 'cause Mikan's enthusiasm was a little hard to take. She turned to her left and saw two figures still approaching them. _Natsume and Ruka, _she thought frantically. _What are they doing here?_

Natsume approached the table and looked surprised as he saw her there_. I didn't know she knew them._

Ruka came up behind Natsume, saw Nikko, and a pink tinge appeared on his cheeks. Natsume didn't notice, fortunately.

Nikko gave Ruka a small smile and he turned even pinker.

"Natsume-kun! Ruka-pyon! Glad you can make it!", Mikan squealed. She jumped up and gave both of them hugs.

Ruka didn't seem to notice but Natsume turned bright red but he looked away just in time.

Hotaru noticed, though, and graced him with a rare smile. With this, Natsume just turned an even brighter shade of red.

Yuu-chan then said the magic words that broke through the strange air surrounding all of them: "Snacks are served."

Throughout the meal, Nikko and Ruka kept on sneaking glances at each other (and not being caught by the other). Natsume looked a bit stupefied when he slowly took in Mikan appearance. Her shiny locks, gorgeous russet eyes and that bright bright smile. He hasn't even taken a bite of the strawberry shortcake Yuu-chan offered him.

Yuu-chan looked at him curiously and just shook his head. It was better not to ask things that aren't meant to be asked.

Meanwhile, Hotaru was watching Natsume and Mikan. "Stupid", Hotaru said under her breath.

OOO

Mikan continued to laugh and joke with Yuu-chan but inside, her heart was pounding a million times a minute.

_Why is Natsume staring at me like that,_ she asked, flushing.

And why.. and why am I feeling.. giddy all over? She wanted to groan out loud but couldn't risk being seen.

_Darn that Natsume and his gorgeous ruby-red eyes!_

_Wait a minute.. What? Did I just?.._ Mikan just cursed inside her mind.

**A/N: **I need reviews! Useful reviews! Thanks!


	4. The Pact: I Love You And I'll Always Do

**Chapter 4: The Pact: I Love You And I'll Always Do**

**Disclaimer: **Gakuen Alice doesn't belong to me. It is owned by the great mangaka Higuchi Tachibana.

Nikko walked back to her room (which was just as nice as Natsume's) and paced back and forth like a caged tiger.

_I don't like this. I don't like this at all, _her mind was screaming. _Of all the guys in the academy, why him? WHY HIM? His bestfriend!_

She groaned at loud like someone in terrible pain (Hmm.. And yeah, she _is_ in terrible pain.) She remembered how she kept on sneaking glances at Ruka every now and then. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop herself. She just _couldn't_ resist it.

It felt like there was a stampede inside her head 'cause she couldn't think straight.

_Argh. _She whirled around and collapsed on her bed, then slept. _Slept not at all._

OOO

Ruka walked back and forth in his room while petting his bunny, err, rabbit. Okay, bunny rabbit.

_I'm confused._

OOO

**Nikko couldn't sleep at all, so she decided to take an evening walk around the academy. Unaware of where her feet was taking her, she ended up going to the ginko tree she and Natsume shared. She flopped down and leaned her back against the trunk of the tree.**

**"Who's there?", a voice asked, almost as sharp as a blade.**

**Nikko squinted at the dark and thought she recognized that boyish voice somewhere.**

**"N-N-Natsume?", she quavered.**

**"It's you, Nikko.." Natsume came and sat down beside her. He stared up to the crescent moon with an expression she couldn't quite decipher.**

**"I think we need to talk, Natsume-kun.."**

**"..."**

**"..I agree", came Natsume's mild reply.**

_**silence**_

**Nikko hesitated a bit. "Things just aren't the same between us, Natsume-kun.."**

_**silence**_

**She went on, "I think it's time we.. go different paths now.. Explore new things.. and new people." She stopped and stared at her slippers.**

**Finally, Natsume turned to look at her in the eye. "Yeah.. I think you're right."**

**The silence between them lost some of its tension but the two still can't breathe properly. They just sat and stared at the moon for a few moments. Finally, Nikko moved and took Natsume's hand in hers. _(Natsume being himself didn't respond but we all know he wants to )_**

**She turned to Natsume and caught his face in her hands. She faltered and looked into his eyes. **

**"Natsume.. I.."**

**He didn't say anything but his eyes told her to go on. "I love you and I'll always do but I guess.. Our feelings just went beyond that stage. You know, the kind where people go on dates, have fun and tease each other." She paused and went on, "I guess.. Our understanding of each other went up a notch higher than that.. Uhh.. Do you get what I'm saying or am I just making a complete fool of myself?"**

**Natsume gave a small nod to show he understood.**

**Nikko was wavering but she still went on, "This is really hard to say for me and I know I'm being a total cornball and all but.."**

**"..I guess our love reached its most mature stage.."**

**She let go of Natsume and sat down again. She hugged her knees to her chest and bowed her head.**

**A few moments passed until she felt Natsume's warm hand on her shoulder. She was already crying, a rare thing for her to do, but she stopped when she saw Natsume's kind eyes. This was a side of him that no one has ever seen before, except for..**

**She threw her arms around him and hugged him tighter.**

**"It's okay, Nikko.. I understand. We.. We both feel the same way, though..", came Natsume's almost inaudible reply. She just nodded.**

**He turned to her and gave her another small smile. She felt tears welling up in her eyes but she glanced up to the sky to stop them from falling.**

**"Friends?", both asked at the same time. Nikko grinned. "Natsume, uhh.. Even if we're not together anymore, I'd still would like to let you know that.. that I'd always be here for you no matter what. I would always have time for you. If I don't have time.. I'll _make_ time.", she said smiling.**

**"Hey.. Natsume.. Let's make a pact, okay? ..That when we both turn 40, and still not married.. We'll marry each other, alright? I know it's ridiculous but.. I'm scared of growing old and alone..", Nikko stopped, looking embarassed. **

**Natsume nodded and gave her a (very) little smile, yet again. **

**She stood up and turned to the direction of her dorm. "Goodnight, Natsume.." He nodded in acknowledgement.**

**"..and Nikko?", came Natsume's tentative voice.**

**She stopped but didn't turn.**

**"The same goes for me.." **

**She smiled to herself and said, "Good.."**

**And that's that.**

**A/N: **Does it suck? _winces _Please review! Easy on the flames, please!


	5. It's YOU That I Like

**Chapter 5: It's YOU That I Like**

**Disclaimer: **Gakuen Alice doesn't belong to me. It is owned by the great mangaka Higuchi Tachibana.

Unknown to Nikko and Natsume, a figure saw them from behind a tree. He stared for a few moments then, vanished _(Hmmm.. He was whisked away by an animal of some sort )._

OOO

Nikko was walking back to her room when she happened to glance out the window. She saw a figure on the bench and narrowed his eyes to see who it was.

_R-Ruka? What is he doing there, _she mused.

She made her way to the bench but hesitated. Ruka still didn't know she was there. She made her presence known by faking a small cough.

"Nikko-san?", Ruka said questioningly. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to know what's up with you. Are you alright?"

Ruka blushed a deep rose and spoke up, "..Yeah."

"Oh, come on." She sat close to Ruka on the bench and said, "You can tell me, you know.."

He nodded a little and stared at the grass at his feet. He clenched and unclenched his fists, Nikko noticed.

_silence_

Nikko couldn't hold off much longer and she clutched Ruka's right arm tightly, with her head down. "Ruka.. I.. I.."

"I like you, Ruka!" The words flew out of her mouth, faster than you could say "Alice".

Ruka's eyebrows shot up and his mouth did opening-closing motions (like a goldfish). He turned to look at Nikko, whose head was still down.

His expression softened and he pulled her closer, surprising her.

"But.. but.. I thought you were with Natsume..", he said softly. "That's why I never did anything to get close to you.. I didn't want to destroy my friendship with Natsume.."

She pulled back from him and stared at his silvery-blues in surprise. "But..but.."

"I like you too, Nikko", came Ruka's gentle voice, looking into her eyes.

Without hesitation, he lifted her chin gently and kissed her.

Nikko's eyes widened. Her eyes filled with unshed tears and she kissed him back.. tenderly.

White doves, as if having a sixth sense, all flew off at the same time.. as if marking the start of a new and blossoming love.

_And who could guess what happens next?_

**A/N: **A bit too.. OOC? _XP_

OOO

Hotaru muttered under her breath, _Get a move on, idiots._

Yuu-chan turned to her and said, "Did you say something, Hotaru?"

"Nothing nothing.."

Yuu-chan looked surprised but didn't volunteer anything more. He shrugged and turned back to his copy of _"A Complete and Unrevised History of the Alice Academy"._

OOO

Mikan woke up as the first rays of the sun hit her face. She groaned and turned to her other side. _What time is it anyway?_

_Wait a minute.._

_I actually got up before my alarm clock rang. _She sat up, feeling energetic. _I have a feeling this day is gonna be wonderful, _she thought cheerfully. _I'd better get ready._

Mikan pranced to her classroom and surprise! surprise, she bumped into someone.

"Watch it, polka dots", Natsume practically growled.

"NATSUUUMEE! Don't you get tired of it at all? It's been four years, for Heaven's sake!", Mikan complained, with her hands on her hips.

"Oh, sorry, idiot. I forgot. It's 'blueberries' now, isn't it?", he smirked.

"Pervert! I ought t-"

"Good morning, Sakura-san", a certain blond boy behind her greeted.

"Morning, Ruka-pyon!", Mikan said giving him a very cheerful smile.

"Good morning, Natsume", Ruka turned to Natsume.

He grunted something that vaguely sounded like "G'morning".

Ruka and Mikan entered the classroom together, leaving Natsume staring after Ruka. _Something's different with him. Wonder what it is. _He then shrugged. _I'll figure it out sooner or later. _He entered the classroom and closed the door with a bang. _(Typical Natsume )_

OOO

Natsume was about to fall asleep when an annoying voice pierced his thoughts.

"Hey, Natsume!"

_Go away, _he wanted to groan out loud. _Can't I even sleep around here. If you don't go away in 5 seconds, I'm going to burn something, _he thought grimly.

"NATSUME!"

True to his thoughts, he did set something on fire. A skirt, to be exact.

Mikan screeched and began to run around the classroom, like a chicken with it's head chopped off. "Put it out! Put it OUT!"

Luckily, someone with a water-related alice did it for her.

Mikan knelt on the floor, trying to catch her breath. "What's wrong with you, Natsume?", her eyes shooting daggers at him. _Wow, if looks could kill, Natsume could be a human dart board by now._

"What were you trying to say, idiot?", he asked in a bored tone.

To his surprise, Mikan brightened instead of hurling insults at him. Natsume turned a light shade of pink at this.

"I wanted to ask you if you would like to go to the 200th Anniversary of Central Town with me."

Natsume's head swiveled back to her in surprise. _Is she serious? She'd like to go with me?_

"So, would you?", Mikan asked with an expectant look on her face.

"Whatever", he grunted and tried to go back to sleep.

"Yay! Natsume's going with me on Saturday!", Mikan yelled happily.

Natsume turned red like a cherry tomato because of this. He tried to hide this but Hotaru, Yuu-chan and Ruka noticed, anyway.

Sumire heard this and charged towards Mikan with a murderous look on her face but was restrained by Yuu-chan and Ruka.

Obviously, Mikan didn't notice Sumire's loud swearing and cursing her very existence.

Natsume's face was still red and he was frantically trying to find something to cover his face. _A magazine, a manga, anything! What's the matter with me today?_

Again, Hotaru muttered under her breath, _Get a move on, idiots._

OOO

"Oh, and Mikan?", Hotaru called tonelessly.

"Hmmm?"

"We don't wear kimonos for that occasion."

Mikan's cheeks turned red and said, "Really? Uhh.. I.."

"Idiot", Hotaru punched her with her _baka_ gun.

"HOTAARUUUU!" _sob sob _"You're mean!"

"Whatever idiot", Hotaru said calmly. "Now go and find something decent to wear. Better start now or you might end up looking like a clown or something".

She gave Mikan a little push and off Mikan went.

_Something should happen, now, _she thought exasperatedly.

**A/N: **200th Anniversary of Central Town? O.o The hell did I get that:P


	6. I Wonder Who That Lucky Girl Is

**Chapter 6: I Wonder Who That Lucky Girl Is - _lady from the jewelry shop_**

**Disclaimer: **Gakuen Alice doesn't belong to me. It is owned by the great mangaka Higuchi Tachibana.

Natsume gulped and took a deep breath to calm himself. _So I'm going to Central Town with the idiot today. Big deal._

_Liar, _a voice inside his head sneered. _I know you're dying to spend time with your.. your precious little.. girlfriend! _Laughter rang eerily in his ears.

_Stop that! Go away and leave me alone, _he thought irritably and mentally kicked himself _(to get that annoying voice to shut up)._

He thought about how eager she was when she asked him days ago. _I just can't get used to the effect she has on me, _he mused and a blush stained his pale, handsome face.

He then stood up, looking determined. _I plan to have a good time with that idiot today, no matter what anyone else might think. Whisper all they want and I'll just reduce them to ashes, _he thought grimly.

He glanced at his watch and his eyes widened. _I'm meeting her in fifteen minutes! _I'd better hurry. He threw on a pair of dark trousers and a t-shirt and bolted out of his room.

OOO

_Where IS Natsume, _Mikan wondered. _Oh. Right. I was so excited that I got here twenty minutes early. _She blushed. _Why am I thinking like this?_

She felt herself shiver in excitement. _I'm so excited to go to Central Town today!_

_Fake, _a voice scoffed in her ear. _You're excited because of NATSUME, aren't you? _She turned scarlet at this. She shook her head fiercely to get rid of these thoughts. _Shut up already. I get it, alright?_

She noticed a figure walking slowly towards her _(Natsume's obviously trying to look cool and collected ). _

_It's Natsume!_

"Hey! Natsume! Over here!", she yelled waving her hands wildly up in the air.

"Stop that, idiot. You look like a windmill", he said, smirking.

Mikan was so excited that she didn't even notice Natsume's teasing. "Let's go!", holding on to Natsume's left arm, causing him to turn bright crimson. He let himself be dragged off by the very enthusiastic Mikan.

OOO

_'Interesting. Did you guys see that?' The blond boy with the rabbit turned to the two._

_'Did you see how Natsume went red when Mikan touched his arm?', the boy with glasses asked._

_A girl with beautiful violet eyes nodded. She raised her video camera and aimed it straight at them. _

_'I'm going to be rich.'_

_The two boys laughed nervously at her expression and -sweatdrops._

OOO

"Oooh, Natsume! Look at this! And that! Oooh! Look over there, Natsume!", Mikan rattled on.

"Yeah yeah yeah.."

But Natsume wasn't really listening. He stared at Mikan, transfixed. Mikan, being just.. Mikan, doesn't seem to notice at all! Her cheeks were flushed in excitement and her eyes seem to shine extra special tonight.

He took in her long and silky russet curls and longed to run his fingers through them. He shook his head as if to clear away those thoughts.

"Natsume, are you alright?", Mikan asked, concerned.

He jumped but recovered quicky. "Yeah, I am", he mumbled looking away.

She held on to his arm and said worriedly, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah.." _(This seems to be the only word in Natsume's vocabulary right now )_

He turned and found himself looking into those chocolate pools. Time seems to have frozen as the two of them just stared into each other's eyes.

_Natsume has such stunning eyes, _she found herself thinking. She longed to gaze and lose herself in those eyes.

Mikan was the one who broke the contact. She turned away, her cheeks flaming. She took a deep breath and faced him again, saying brightly, "Let's go somewhere else, Natsume!"

He nodded and she dragged him off.

OOO

Mikan stopped and gazed into the window of a shop. "Natsume, come look! Isn't this really pretty?" She pointed to a delicate ruby necklace, set in white-gold.

Natsume stood beside her and looked at it, too.

"Yeah, it is".

Mikan glanced at her watch and said, "The fireworks start in an hour. Do you want to go see?"

Natsume just nodded and they went on their way.

OOO

_The girl with those startling violet eyes remarked, 'I think he has something hidden up his sleeve.'_

_'What do you mean?', the boy with the bunny, err, rabbit asked._

_'You'll see.'_

_'Ahh.. I get it," the 'four-eyed' boy said. _

_'Huh?'_

_'You'll see it on Mikan later on."_

_'Huh?'_

_The girl just nodded and resumed her position, with her video camera in hand. She aimed it again at the couple and crouched down._

_The blond boy just shook his head. 'I think I get it." He grinned. 'Go for it.. Natsume!'_

OOO

"Hey, blueberries."

Mikan whipped around and glowered at him. "Pervert!" She smacked him on the arm.

"Listen, wait here alright?"

"Huh? Why?" Mikan said, quizzically.

"I just have something to take care of quick. Be right back, alright, polka dots?", Natsume said point-blank.

"Uhh.. Okay. Don't take too long, alright? The fireworks start in twenty minutes", she called to him.

He raised his hand as if to say _'okay' _and went on his way.

Mikan stared at his retreating figure and shrugged. She turned back to the current attraction, which was a show made by a person with an illusion alice _(Ooh, is it Yuu? Lol it rhymes :P)_

OOO

Natsume looked left and right before entering the shop. He pushed the door open softly as to not attract any attention from passers-by.

"May I help you, sir?", a kind old saleslady asked.

"Yes, I'd like to buy this, please", Natsume said, trying hard not to turn cherry-red. He spotted a matching bracelet and thought, _I'd take that one, too._

"This one, too."

"You have great taste, sir", the lady said, smiling. "Is it for your girlfriend?"

Natsume turned an even more bright shade of red and wasn't able to say anything. She smiled knowingly and went to wrap them up.

"Sir, please choose a box. This velvety deep purple or silky midnight blue?"

"Uhh.. Whichever you think is appropriate", Natsume said, kind of stupidly. _(Give him a break! He doesn't know anything about that kind of stuff! XD)_

The lady shook her head and smiled again.

"The silky midnight blue, it is. That would be 3000 rabbits, sir." _(Wow, he's, like, totally rich! O.o)_

Natsume handed over the money and took the bag without a word. He turned and was on his way out when the lady called, "Good luck, sir. I'm sure she would absolutely adore it."

He stopped for a split-second then went out of the store.

_I saw you blush. I wonder who that lucky girl is, _the old lady thought, fondly.

OOO

_'See that?', the boy with glasses asked._

_'Yeah, I did!', the boy patted his bunny, err, rabbit on the head twice._

_'Got it. Caught on film, huh Natsume?', the girl smiled sadistically._

_-sweatdrops_

_'Uhh, Hotaru? What exactly are you planning with that video?', the two boys asked, almost afraid to know._

_'I'm gonna sell it and get rich quick'._

_'Uhh.. Alright.'_

_'Hotaru sure is scary', came from the two boys' speech (err, thought) bubble._

_-sweatdrops_

**A/N:** So what do you guys think? Review please! Thank you very much for reading!


	7. Fireworks

**Chapter 7: Fireworks**

**Disclaimer: **Gakuen Alice doesn't belong to me. It is owned by the great mangaka Higuchi Tachibana.

_Natsume, where the hell are you? It's gonna start in about 2 minutes, _Mikan thought, looking very infuriated. She looked around and tapped her foot impatiently.

Natsume saw her looking around was about to hurry to her when he stopped himself in time. _Cool it. You don't want to be obvious. _He took a deep breath and pasted a flat expression on his face.

"I'm back, polka dots", he said with a bored tone.

"Where have you been anyway, Natsume-kun?", Mikan asked inquiringly.

"Nowhere.."

She raised an eyebrow and shrugged. She then brightened. "Look! Natsume-kun! It's starting already!", Mikan yelled, looking really excited.

Natsume glanced up and saw the fireworks explode, causing blue, red and purple sparks to appear. "They do look pretty", he said in a slightly odd voice.

Mikan stopped jumping and look at him.

"What?", Natsume asked defensively.

"Nothing", Mikan smiled. "I'm just really glad that you do like fireworks". She flashed him another heartfelt smile.

He blushed crimson but luckily, it was already very dark. _But_ he had a nagging feeling that she noticed, anyway. He watched the rest of the fireworks in silence, with Mikan squealing in delight every time something went off.

Natsume took a deep breath. And another. And another. _It's now.. or.. in ten years, _he thought bleakly.

"Hey, uhm.. polka do--Mikan?", he said hesitantly.

"Yeah?" She continued to jump up and down, not noticing Natsume's serious voice.

"I have something to.. uh.. tell you."

He said it in such a serious voice that Mikan stopped and stared at him. "What is it?"

"I.. I.. You have something on your face, by the way."

"Huh? What? Why didn't you tell me before, pervert?", Mikan complained, looking very annoyed. She hurriedly wiped her face with the pink handkerchief she brought with her. "And why did you tell me that with such a grim tone anyway? Maybe you were trying hard not to laugh or something", she scowled.

"No. No, it's not that!", he protested weakly.

"Then what is it?"

"Turn around first."

"Huh?"

"Just.. Just turn around."

Mikan shrugged and _(being an idiot ) _faced the other way. _Idiot girl. What if I asked you to jump in the lake? Would you do it, _he thought, amused. He shook his head. _Focus._

Natsume took out the necklace and breathed deeply. "Hey.. polk--Mikan?" He placed his hand on her right shoulder.

If Mikan was surprised, she didn't show it. "What is it, Natsume-kun?", she said, not turning to face him.

He clutched the necklace tightly in his hands and gently put it around her neck.

"Wha-What?", Mikan stuttered.

"I like you.. polka dots", he whispered in her ear just as the last of the fireworks exploded.

OOO

The two walked in silence towards the bus stop. Both were blushing madly and avoided each other's gaze for a while.

Natsume then walked ahead and was a good three meters away from Mikan when she called out, "Hey, Natsume".

He stopped, but was too embarassed to look back at her. "Hey.. Uhm..", she was stammering.

"Hey, it's cool if the feeling isn't mutual. I just wanted to tell you all that before it's too late." With that, he went ahead to the bus stop.

He was about a good ten meterss away already when Mikan took a deep breath and went after him. _No, it's not that at all, _her mind screamed.

"Natsume!"

He stopped in his tracks and waited.

She was already kneeling and panting a bit.

"Natsume, I.. I.. I like you too, Natsume!", she choked out. Natsume's eyes widened but she didn't see, of course.

_Then silence._

Mikan looked at her feet and bit her lip, while fingering the necklace he gave her. _I want to tell you how.. how I.. how much I.._

Without stopping to think what her actions might be, she rushed forward and hugged him tightly from behind. Natsume was caught off-guard and his face was burning madly. It went on for about a minute before he took her shoulders and made her face him. He then realized that she was crying silently.

He looked at her straight in the eye and said, "Say it again.. will you?"

Mikan looked at him a bit questioningly. She smiled through her tears and repeated, "I like you too, Natsume!"

With that, she hugged him again tightly. Natsume _(being just himself ) _hugged her back but a bit awkwardly _(Again, give him a break! He was scared stiff back there, you know XD)._

"And thank you so much, Natsume," she said and stopped herself from crying. "I'm sorry for crying all over the place. I'm just so.. happy."

He gave her a rare smile and said, "It's alright. It's quite alright.. Mikan", calling her by her name, properly for the first time.

With that, he hugged her again and Mikan smiled to herself, looking very happy and contented in his arms.

The streetlights went off, except for the one at the very far end of the street, as if to give the two new lovers solitude.

OOO

_'Got it', the girl said victoriously, while smiling like a sadist. 'I'm gonna make millions!' She raised her video camera like a trophy._

_The two boys -sweatdrops._

_'Uhh.. Good work, Hotaru', the boy with glasses said, somewhat nervously._

_'Yeah.. uhh.. Hotaru', the blond boy agreed uncertainly._

_The girl lowered her camera and smiled knowingly at him. 'Well well well.. I just noticed. Where is SHE? Why isn't she with you?', the girl grinned evilly._

_The blond one turned deep rose. 'She wanted to go but she was called for by the teachers.'_

_The girl looked thoughtful and just shrugged._

_The boy prayed hard, 'Please.. Don't.. Don't let it be...'_

_The three turned their attention back to the two who were still hugging._

_'I think they're glued on or something," the other boy said, stifling a laugh._

_'Think we should go and disturb them?', the boy with the pet bunny, err, rabbit asked._

_'Yeah, let's', the girl said laughing, with an evil gleam in her eye. She put her camera back in her bag and charged towards the two, with the two following at her heels._

OOO

"Oi! Natsume!", Ruka called, grinning.

The two broke apart, blushing madly. They looked anywhere but each other, their cheeks still flaming red.

"What are you guys doing here?", Natsume finally asked, recovering.

"Yeah..", Mikan agreed, looking suddenly timid.

"Ohh, we just wanted to see how you guys are doing", Yuu-chan said with a smile.

"Thanks to you two, I'm gonna be rich", Hotaru said tonelessly, but with a hint of humor in her eyes _(Wow, Hotaru!)._

Mikan and Natsume both ignored her statement, as they were already used to her money-making schemes. It was best to just let her be.

"Let's go back. It's dark already."

"Right you are, Natsume", Ruka agreed, still grinning widely.

They all walked to the bus and when he was sure that nobody was looking, Natsume took Mikan's hand in his and Mikan responded by squeezing his hand warmly. Both exhanged a glance briefly and smiled at each other softly.

_It seems nothing can escape Hotaru's sharp eyes because she saw all of these. She stared at the two and gave a rare secret smile._

OOO

Mikan was back in her room, still unable to sleep. _Natsume.._ She smiled to herself.

She fingered the empty box of the necklace Natsume gave her. She stroked the silky texture of the box and admired the beautiful shade of blue. She opened it.

_Huh?_

She squinted at the inside of the box and noticed that the bottom was taped down in such an odd way. Fiddling with it, she removed it with a bit of effort. Her breath caught in her throat as a matching bracelet fell out.

_It's so beautiful,_ she breathed.

She quickly put it on and stared as the white-gold of the bracelet caught in the moonlight.

_Thank you, Natsume.._

She smiled to herself again and looked at the moon outside her window.

**A/N:** Was it too cheesy? Tell me! Reviews! Please and thank you very much for reading!


	8. THE END Kisses and More Kisses

**Chapter 8: (THE END) Kisses and More Kisses**

**Disclaimer: **Gakuen Alice doesn't belong to me. It is owned by the great mangaka Higuchi Tachibana.

Ruka and Nikko passed each other in the corridor.

"Hi Ruka", Nikko greeted him softly.

His turned a little pink but managed to choke out a "Hey". He then remembered that he wanted to ask her something.

"Uhh.. Nikko?"

"Yes? What is it, Ruka?"

"I wanted to ask you something important".

Nikko's eyebrows shot up in surprise and nodded for him to go on.

"When the teachers called for you the other day.. What did they say to you?", Ruka asked, almost grimly.

She looked away and was unable to answer for a few moments. She shifted her gaze back to him and answered, confirming his fears. "They wanted me to be a part of.. that group", she finally said.

Ruka's eyes widened. "You mean the same group as Nat.. Natsume?.."

"..Yeah.."

There was silence between the two of them.

"Why did they want you to join them?", Ruka swallowed hard.

Nikko hesitated. "..."

She took a deep breath and said, almost calmly, "Since my alice is 'time manipulation', they think it would be a great asset to the academy. I can erase some parts of history and plus, with my help, they can eliminate anti-Alice Academy organizations before they can even attack or _plan_ to attack the Academy."

Neither of them moved or said a word.

Finally, Ruka spoke up, almost fearfully, "What did you say?"

"I declined."

"Really? Are you serious?", Ruka looked utterly gobsmacked and grabbed Nikko's shoulders.

"Yeah, I am", she said, smiling.

"But.. why?", he asked, looking slightly quizzical. "I thought nobody can say no to the 'people above'."

"Well, I did. I won't allow my alice to be used to kill people. Even.. people who belong to anti-alice organizations. And besides, it's too risky to use my alice. It requires great strength to control it." She paused. "That's why I've only used it once, to prove I was an alice".

Ruka gave her a small hug and said in her ear, "That's good".

Nikko just smiled, against Ruka's chest. _(Ooohh.. XP)_

OOO

_'Hey, did you hear'?_

_'What?'_

_'Nikko-san and Natsuma-sama aren't together anymore', a girl said in a hushed voice._

_'What?', exclaimed a bunch of girls, looking scandalized._

_'Well, I heard', a girl said ominously, 'that Natsume-sama is with Sakura-san AND Nikko-san is with Ruka-sama!'_

_By this time, all of the girls in the classroom heard what they were talking about._

_'WHAT? ARE YOU SERIOUS?'_

_'Yeah, I am!', said the girl gleefully. 'I saw Natsume-sama and Sakura-san almost making out by the bus stop at Central Town! AND I saw Nikko-san and Ruka-sama kissing by this tree a few nights ago!'_

_Nobody was able to say anything. Finally, someone grumbled, 'They're so lucky. I'd kill just to be kissed by either Natsume-sama or Ruka-sama.' The other girls nodded in agreement._

_'Some girls have all the luck.'_

_'Yeah..'_

_They were all silent when somebody said brightly, 'Well, since we can't kiss either of the two of them.. Let's ask Nikko-san and Sakura-san how the two boys kiss!'_

_'Hell, yeah! That's a great idea!'_

_'Maybe one of the boys kiss just like a jellyfish. Or worse, a dead jellyfish!' The other girls responded by throwing a book at her head. 'Hey, I was just joking', she complained, rubbing the back of her head._

_Another girl got this really dreamy look on her face. 'I bet Ruka-sama kisses real gently. But I guarantee that his kisses are enough to make a girl swoon and drop dead at his feet!'_

_All of the girls grinned appreciatively. _

_She continued,with a faraway look in her eyes, "And I bet that Natsume-sama is a full-body kisser. His lips would be hot and fiery, just like his alice is. Plus, I bet his kisses would definitely be one-of-a-kind and the soul-searing type.'_

_They all squealed in delight at that._

_A girl wondered out loud, 'I wonder if things got hot and heavy..'. She wiggled her eyebrows comically._

_They all laughed at that. _

_'Come on, girls! Let's ask them!'_

_'YEAH!', the girls said in unison._

OOO

"Step right up and buy your own DVD copies! Step right up and BUY YOUR OWN DVD COPIES!", poor Yuu-chan was forced to yell.

A few people stopped and came for a closer look.

"What DVD is that?", a boy asked suspicously.

Hotaru answered frostily, "DVDs that show you on how Natsume and Mikan, Nikko and Ruka, got together."

A girl gasped. "Hontou desu?"

Hotaru nodded and in an instant, a crowd gathered around Hotaru's booth.

Again, Yuu-chan yelled, "Step right up and buy your own DVD copies! Only 50 rabbits each!"

The crowd went crazy and in less that 5 minutes, Hotaru was able to sell roughly 7,000 copies.

"Amazing", Yuu-chan said, shaking his head. "Amazing on how people can be so nosy. And be huge fans of Natsume and Ruka". He grinned.

Hotaru just nodded and counted all the money she earned. People are still lining up to get their own copies, would you believe?

"Hey, what's going on here?", came an eerily familiar cold voice.

The crowd backed off hastily, looking petrified.

"Hotaru, explain", he said in a very steely voice that the crowd back off again.

Hotaru met his cold eyes calmly and said, "I'm selling DVDs".

Natsume went and examined the cover of one. His eyes widened slightly and then it was gone, to be replaced by a flat expression.

He turned to her and said sarcastically, "Frankly, this doesn't surprise me."

Hotaru just nodded and said, "But you know, people thought it was a cliff-hanger. They said something was still missing". She looked at him meaningfully, as if mentally sending a message.

As if on cue, a certain brunette happened to pass by, looking for Hotaru. She spotted her and charged towards the girl.

"HOTARUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

Hotaru stepped back just in time quickly and she ended up in the arms of a certain boy who occupied her thoughts 24/7. Hyuuga Natsume.

"N-N-Natsume?", she said, suddenly tongue-tied.

"There you are, idiot. I've been looking all over the academy for you."

With that, he bent down his head swiftly and kissed Mikan on the lips.

Mikan felt her heart beat like a rock concert gone wild and felt herself get dizzy with the sensation. She kissed him back, pressing him closer to her.

They didn't care that the whole academy was watching open-mouthed at them and that Hotaru looked like a proud mother hen. _(Hahahahaha! Sorry XP)_

After several more seconds, they broke apart. The crowd applauded loudly and catcalls and wolf whistles were heard. They both turned a million shades of red and pink combined but they were both smiling bashfully. _(Okay, Mikan was the only one smiling bashfully while Natsume tried hard to look emotionless, but failing )_

Ruka elbowed Nikko in the ribs and complained jokingly, "Hey! Why didn't you kiss me like that?"

Nikko mockingly glared at him, "Well, you didn't say anything at all!"

They both stared at each other in mock anger and burst into peals of laughter.

By this time, more people were applauding. Mr. Narumi, included. Even Mr. Jinno was trying hard not to smile.

"ONE MORE TIME! ONE MORE TIME!", the crowd chanted over and over again.

Mikan and Natsume were still blushing madly but Natsume reached over and pulled Mikan closer to him again.

"That kiss was for the crowd.. This one's from me", he whispered in her ear. And with that, he kissed her again.

_That was even better than the first one, _Mikan thought, feeling lightheaded.

_And this confirmed the girls' theory of Natsume being a full-body, one-of-a-kind, soul-searing kisser._

_The girls giggled at this._

All's well that ends well.

OOO

Ruka watched Natsume, looking genuinely happy _(but was trying hard to hide it XD)._

_I'm glad you're finally happy, my best friend. No one deserves this more than you do._

_I wish you luck, _he thought warmly.


	9. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**Disclaimer: **Gakuen Alice doesn't belong to me. It is owned by the great mangaka Higuchi Tachibana.

_A/N: I had this nagging feeling that I wasn't able to end it properly. So.. I thought of writing an epilogue. Short and sweet ;)_

Nikko tossed and turned in her bed. She tried with all her might to fall asleep but it was no use. She tried counting sheep, she tried counting backwards, she tried reciting the multiplication table in her head, but still, it was no use.

_Argh! This is just plain ridiculous, _she thought, annoyed. _Please, let sleep come to me, _she prayed silently.

Finally, she got up and walked towards her kitchen. She brought out a carton of milk from the refrigerator and put some in a mug. She added some honey and popped it into the microwave.

_Milk would do the trick, _she thought with satisfaction.

She walked to back to her bedroom, and stared out the window, while sipping her milk. After 30 minutes, she still didn't feel a bit sleepy.

She groaned inwardly. _I have to wake up early tomorrow 'cause I haven't finished all my homework. Blame it on all the excitement this afternoon,_ she grumbled to herself, while really smiling.

Nikko stared out the window, lost in thought. She saw a figure shuffling towards the ginko trees.

She blinked and rubbed her eyes. _I must be seeing things. _She squinted at the figure and saw the familiar flash of a gold earring. _Natsume! What's he..?_

She stared for a moment longer and decided to come down and talk to him for a bit. She shivered in her thin nightgown as the wind stung her when she stepped outside.

"Natsume?", her voice sounded high and thin.

He looked up, twirling a blade of grass in his fingers. "Hey.."

They were both quiet for a few moments.

Finally. he said, "What's up?"

Nikko shook her head and smiled. "Not much since we last talked a few days ago. So, how are you and Mikan?"

He gave her a small smile. "We're doing fine. How about you and.. Ruka?", he said the last word with a bit of difficulty.

She replied quietly, "We're alright."

They were again silent for a few seconds.

"Listen.. Natsume?"

"Yeah.."

"I'm sorry.. So sorry.."

"Hmmm? For what?", he said, looking at her quizzically.

"Oh, give me a break, Natsume", she shot him a look.

He gave her a look for a moment and sighed. "It's okay, Nikko. I just didn't expect it to be.. my best friend. But it's cool with me."

She closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. To tell you the truth, I didn't know how I was gonna tell you. It was just too.. awkward.. It wasn't my intention to keep it from you at all."

He nodded and said softly, "It's okay, Nikko. I do understand, you know. I'm not that cold a person."

She grinned widely and replied, "I know. That's why I fell in love with you before, right?"

He didn't smile but his eyes did. "I guess.."

"Ne, Natsume?"

"Hmmm?"

"We'll always be friends, right? Forever?", she looked at him hopefully.

He gave her a small nod and graced her with another small smile. "I haven't forgotten our pact, you know."

They sat silently under the ginko tree, which was their own special place. Nikko reached over and squeezed Natsume's hand. He returned the gesture and said to her gently, "I hope you'll be very happy with Ruka. I know he'll treat you well. I know him better than anybody."

Nikko, who wasn't able to utter a word, just nodded. "I wish you luck with Mikan, too." She gave him a sad smile. "I love you and I'll always do, Natsume..." And with that, she gave him a hug which felt like goodbye to their past and a welcome to a platonic friendship.

"Hey.. Natsume?"

"What?"

"I wish you'd be always like this to everybody. I mean, this nice. It suits you, you know?"

He turned pink and mumbled something.

Nikko just smiled. She stood up and said, "Goodnight, Natsume. Sweet dreams".

"You, too, Nikko.. You, too.."

**THE END**

A/N: Watch out for my next fic! Solely NatsumexMikan this time, I promise. I hope you'll all like it. I'm currently working on chapter 1. Romance/Humor

I won't say anymore details. I want it to be a surprise!

**PLEASE REVIEW THIS FIC! ** Thank you very much!


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